In the months and weeks leading up to the election, I had been thinking about the situation this country is in by likening it to being on a crashing plane. On the one hand, we had the current pilot who wasn’t able to control the plane, and the fact that it was crashing was due in large part to his piloting incompetence. On the other hand, we had a passenger who had a great deal of piloting experience, who was volunteering to take the controls. In his previous piloting experience, this volunteer had saved another plane from crashing. If we could get him in the pilot seat, well, we may have still crashed–the situation was definitely dire–but there was at least a possibility that we’d end up relatively okay… alive and standing on the wings of the downed plane in the Hudson River, a la Chessley Sullenberger, if you will.

I really thought that our fellow passengers would come to realize our plight, and vote to put an experienced pilot at the controls. But I was wrong. Far far too many of us either don’t see how dire are the straits we are in, or have convinced themselves, despite overwhelming proof to the contrary, that more of the same policies will keep us aloft.

So I have had to re-think my analogy. Now, the plane we are flying in is headed straight toward the Statue of Liberty. It is being piloted by a man who wants to radically transform this country. He knows exactly what he is doing. The cockpit door is locked, and this pilot has Czars and Cabinet Secretaries with boxcutters standing guard. Many of us realize that this is a one-way trip, and that we won’t get out of it without a huge crash and terrible things happening. But once you realize you’re definitely going to crash, the way you crash, well, it matters a great deal.

So here we are, just over half a nation of free-stuff moochers; just under half a nation of Todd Beamers. I’m hoping that all of us Todd Beamers will have the courage to do whatever it takes to avoid having our plane crash into and demolish the most potent symbol of freedom in the world.

And perhaps in the smoking wreckage of some Shanksville, a few people will emerge from the smoldering ruins and begin the arduous task of re-building our nation.

What’s next? Well, Conservatives and Republicans will prove once again that they are as gracious in defeat as they are in victory. Small comfort, maybe, but it does mean something. And so I congratulate President Obama on his victory, and wish him the very best in guiding our nation for the next four years. I will be praying for him and the country.

So now, it’s time to re-group. Maybe now the press will finally start to cover the stories they should have been covering all along: things like Fast & Furious, and more recently, the debacle in Benghazi, and more widely, the President’s disastrously weak foreign policy. Okay, well that gave me a little chuckle anyway.

But it is clear to me that the very notion of America has changed dramatically. We are no longer a center-right nation, and the people have figured out that they can vote themselves bread and circuses.

So be it. It has happened before in world history, and I have no doubt it will happen again. Problem is, this time, it’s happening to us. I don’t want to end up like Greece, with rioting in the streets. I’m not afraid, but I don’t want it to happen here.

What I am afraid for is our Constitution. Four more years of President Obama means at least two more Supreme Court justices that he gets to choose. Just think about that for a moment.

Honestly, dear readers, I don’t know what we will be facing over the next four years. But if we can weather them, I can only pray that we will come through them stronger as a nation than before.

If you’re planning on voting for Mitt Romney, this post is not written for you. It’s written for every would-be Obama voter.

There’s a great article in the Jewish Journal by David Mamet, entitled, “A Note to a Stiff-Necked People“. In it, Mamet asks a series of questions that liberal Jewish parents should be prepared to answer for their children’s sake as they vote for Obama tomorrow. It applies just as well to liberal non-Jewish parents, as well as to any thoughtful voter who is considering casting a ballot for Obama tomorrow. I strongly recomment that you read the entire article, but his closing point is this perfect gem:

“Please remember that we have the secret ballot and, should you, on reflection, vote in secret for a candidate you would not endorse in public, you will not be alone.”

If you’re planning on voting for Obama because you voted for him in 2008, even if you’re not thrilled with his performance, but think maybe another four years will help (it won’t); if you’re voting for him simply because you always vote for the Democrat on the ticket; if you’re voting for him because all your friends are; please stop and think. If you have any hesitation, any doubts at all, you have the opportunity to cast your vote for the man who advocates voting for love of country rather than voting for revenge. And if anybody asks who you voted for, it’s nobody’s business but yours.

This video is for those of you who have decided to cast a vote on Tuesday for a third-party candidate–Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, whomever–or who refuse to vote at all. I know you are standing on principle by your planned action or inaction. I know you believe that your protest vote or lack thereof will send a message to the party that not everyone is pleased with the choice of Mitt Romney as a candidate, and that we could, and should do better.

If you’re thinking along these lines, then please, for the sake of the nation, watch this video, and then, with clear eyes viewing the world as it is today, act according to your conservative principles.

The entire future of our nation depends on each and every one of us. We need you now.